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Fanfiction Fridays: Living Arrangements by Netgirl_y2k

When Agent Carter premiered last year, it quickly set the standard for amazing shows. Agent Carter showcased a woman fighting against patriarchal standards and building relationships with other women while at it, and though the show could certainly use more people of color, it’s been friendly to the ship that fandom loves the most: Peggy Carter and Angie Martinelli. While at a convention this summer, Hayley Atwell, Peggy’s actress, even took a picture with Angie’s actress and captioned it “Cartinelli”; she’s been vocal about her support for it in the past as well. Now that Agent Carter has been renewed for a second season, who knows what could happen? That’s why I went looking for Cartinelli fic and found a great one to rec for today.

Girlfriends.

Living Arrangements is adorable. It starts around the last episode of Agent Carter, when Peggy has just invited Angie to live with her in Howard Stark’s penthouse. Angie agrees, of course, and she and Peggy move in together. What follows is a delightful slice-of-life fic about practically being married and not knowing it—one of my favorite tropes.

Peggy calls home one night to say that she’ll be working late and Angie should eat without her.

“We may be here all night. I’ve just sent the men to call their wives and apologise…”

Angie’s always prided herself on being quick off the mark, but it still takes her a beat too long to wisecrack, “Well, don’t expect me to keep your supper warm for you.”

“I would never dream of presuming, Angie.”

Angie isn’t long off the call from Peggy when the doorbell rings; it’s Mr Jarvis and she tells him that he can probably catch Peggy at her office, provided he knows where that actually is, because Angie sure doesn’t.

No, he says, he’s here because Mr Stark wishes to invite Angie to accompany him to a party tomorrow evening. Angie decides to overlook Howard sending his butler to ask her; she’s met Jarvis before, so it’s not like her socks are going to be knocked off by the fact that Howardhasa butler.

After Angie’s said yes, because why not, she must still look a little distracted because Jarvis asks, “Is there anything wrong, Miss Martinelli?”

Angie almost saysI think Peggy and me are basically married, and I don’t think she’s noticedjust to see what colour Mr Fancy’s face will turn, but instead she just smiles, and asks him to tell Mr Stark that she’ll look forward to tomorrow night.

I love slice-of-life stories, particularly for slow-growing relationships, because you don’t have to focus too much on an overarching plot and can instead focus on little character moments. Peggy teaches Angie some self-defense and preemptively warns Howard off Angie, while Angie meets producers and directors through Howard and quietly assists Peggy with some secret agent stuff. As a civilian who’s unused to spy shenanigans, Angie adapts well: like in the show, where she saved Peggy from her own colleagues, the Angie of the fic is quick on her feet and honestly admiring of Peggy, even though she’s concerned for Peggy’s well-being. Peggy, on her end, is enormously supportive of Angie’s acting ambitions and genuinely interested in Angie’s life, as different as it is from her own. The narration is perfect—Angie and Peggy’s dialogue is spot on, and I can only hope that this is going to be what Season 2 of Agent Carter is like. I can dream, can’t I?

You can find Living Arrangementshere on the AO3. It’s only about three thousand words, so reading it can be a fun break in your day!